Ivana Damien George
is an interdisciplinary artist working in photography, printmaking, watercolor, drawing, sound, video, and mixed media since 1998. The starting point in her art practice is a belief that great art not only is visually compelling but that it should also have a subject matter, a meaning, and an inspirational purpose beyond the purely aesthetic. She believes in the power of art to inspire, inform and engage viewers in the critical issues of our time. Her art reflects her belief in the importance of respect for Mother Earth. Her mission is using her creativity to raise consciousness about the interconnectedness of all living beings to encourage environmental conservation and sustainable habitation on Earth.
She strives to embody her values in the production of her artwork by sourcing recycled materials, using non-toxic materials and processes and through reuse where possible. She frames her artworks using hardwood frames made from sustainably managed North American forests and avoids tropical hardwoods.
She has exhibited her work in over 50 national juried and invitational exhibitions including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Flash Forward Photography Festival, The Griffin Museum, Panopticon Gallery, Newspace Center for Photography, CAC in Las Vegas, Soho Photo Gallery, Dallas Video Festival, Junction Arts Festival and the Danforth Museum. She has completed artist in residency fellowships at the Vermont Studio Residency Center and Oolite Arts. Since 2002, she has been the recipient of numerous grants for the creation of artworks. Her work has been written about in the Boston Globe, Orion Magazine, the Las Vegas Sun, Atlanta's Creative Loafing as well as several blogs. She holds a M.F.A. degree from the joint program of The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Tufts University. She is a Professor of Art at a Massachusetts state university since 2003, where she teaches all levels of black and white analog photography, historical processes and digital photography. She also teaches additional subjects including business of visual arts, video, digital arts and sustainability concepts and practices.
Her early life experiences influence the artworks she creates today. Throughout her childhood she was exposed to rural and urban agriculture in her father’s backyard. This upbringing connected her to the seasons and an awareness of growing and eating seasonal healthy food. She developed a sense of enjoyment in nurturing life from small seeds to plants or baby chicks to adult chickens. This connectedness to the cycles of life contributed to her developing environmental ethics. George’s parents encouraged her involvement in civic life and she was active in several environmental issues. George raised money to create the Children’s Forest preserve in Costa Rica, planted trees in a massive tree planting campaign on Mount Mitchell in western North Carolina, and she led a youth weekly letter writing campaign to state senators on environmental issues. She continues her civic involvement by volunteering for the BSU community garden which provides free food through the campus food bank and environmental education for students. As a Sierra Club member she participates in local environmental advocacy events at the Massachusetts state house. She loves to teach photography outdoors on field trips, go to national parks, and participate in many outdoor adventure sports such as cross country skiing, biking, kayaking, hiking and rock climbing. She enjoys growing vegetables, cooking, and eating gourmet food with friends and family.